Armor-plate installer



OFFICE.

LESLIE SALTER, 0F VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA;

ARMOR-PLATE INSTALLER.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 0 1 12 1920;

Application filed :February 21, 1920. Serial No. 560,494..

forplacing armor plates on battleships and the objects of my invention are as follows:

One of the most difiicult problems in modern ship construction is the installing of armor plates around the hull of the ship. These plates, which weigh as high as 7 5 tons, are, in present day practice, lifted by heavy cranes to a height corresponding to the heightof the place on the hull of the ship which they are intended to fill. Usually it is impossible for the crane to bring such a plate into. close proximity with its perma nent place because in some cases the top of the hull of the ship protrudes beyond the place where the plate is to be installed and in other cases the plate itself is curved downwardly and inwardly so that even if the top of the plate can be brought into close proximity, the bottom of the plate will depend in a position several feet away from the hull of the ship. While theplate is thus suspendedfrom the crane as near its perma-' nent place as thecrane can get it, it has been the usual practice to pull it toward the ship by means of heavy wire cablesattached to the plate inrdifierent convenient places, and acted upon by a crew of men Working on the inside of the ship., Since this opera- .tion is performed after the ship is launched,

that is, after the frame and hull of the ship are completed, it. is extremely diflicult for the inside crew to work with any degree of efficiency, all the more since by the double bottom tank, which usually "follows the lines of the hull to a height corresponding to the height of the armorplate, the part of the ship next to the hull is divided into a large number of small compartments, ac-

cessible through'small manholes only. To

exertany power on the cables fastened to the armor plate, calls .for a large number of men and for a high degree of ingenuity on the part of the crew in gaining a solid foothold for themselves and in placing their block and tackle. Under these circumstances it is necessary on a modern battleship to employ a crew of about twelve men on the inside ofv the ship and the installing of two work. I Installing an armor plate this way is furthermore accompanied by grave danger for the crew, since not infrequently a defec tive WlI'e cable will give Way to the heavy wei ht of the plate and break.-

y device overcomes most of these difficulties by permitting practically all of the work to be done from the outside of the ship, where a floating deck gives convenient foothold to the crew It further replaces the pulling operation by a sliding operation, by which the heavy plate slides comfortably into its place on two rails previously attached to the hull of the ship in a slanting direction. l

'While my device is primarily intended for the installing of armor plates on battleships, it may, with slightmodific'ationabe plates is considered a good days used to advantage in the installing of ordinary plateson any steel ship and such a use would not depart from the spirit of this invention.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in-the accompanying drawing, in

the hull of the ship, looking aft.

Fig. 3 represents a detail, showing the manner in which the lower extremities of. my device are fastened to the hull of the ship. 7 c

, Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The shell 1, the tank top 2, the floor plates 3, the longitudinal plates 4 and the angles 5 binding these different plates constitute the frame and hull as far as is necessary to show for the purposes of this illustration.

The, armor shelf 6, consisting of a strong angle, is riveted to the hull of the ship, as

shown at 10, the full length of. the same, so that its free flange provides a restingplace for the armor plate 7 to be installed. My device consists chiefly of two strong beams 8, preferably of wood, the bottoms 9 f which are fastened to the armor shelf 6,- at a distance from each other less than the width of the armor plate 7. These two beams slant upward, away from the hull of the shi so as to leave sufficient space be tween t eir tops 11 and the hull of the ship relation to each other, in an outward direetion, so that the distance between their tops 11 is larger than the width of the armor two parts plate 7. The tops 11 areheld in their spaced relation by a strong rod 12, consisting of two parts 13 and 14;, joined by a turn buckle 15, which allows of some adjustment in the length of the rod. The outer ends ofthe 13 and 14 are fastened to the tops of the beams 8 inany convenient way, preferably, as here'shown, by eyes 20rfitting into shackles 16 bolted to'steel extensions of the tops 11 of beams 8. 1 V

The bottoms of the two beams 8 are fastened'to the armor shelf angle 6 as followsi Angle clips 17 of convenient size, but of considerably smaller dimensions than the armor shelf angle 6, are tapped on to the under side of the horizontal flange of the latter, so that both flanges of the angle run parallel to the flanges of the armor shelf angle but sufficient space is left he tween the twoflanges toeing downward to allow 'anut 18 to be'screwed to the threaded end of a rod 19 going through a hole 21 in the perpendicular flange of angle clip 17.

hole 23 to receive the other threadedend of rod 19, a washer 24: and a nut 25 preventing the beam from sliding off; Since the armor'plate is usually a few inches thicker than the width of the armor shelf angle,

sufficient space is left between the toe of the horizontal flange. .of the armor shelf angle and the beam, to allow the armor plate to slide down to the armor shelf angle To relieve the shearing stress which must necessarily be experienced y the angle p '17 on account of the heavy weight of the beams as well as of the armor plate,- an- 7 other means of resisting the downward pres sure of the beams and armor plate is-provided by a strong wire cable 26 attached in some convenient manner to a flanged plate 27 fastened to the bottom of beam 8 and led upward to a clamp 28, which clamps over the top of the hull, secured by aset screw 32 A-turnbuckle 29, introduced atv some convenient place in the length of the cable 26," permits the adjustment of the length of the latter. 7

The shackles 16 fitted on to the extensions 1 3O ofbeams 8 servealso to engage one end to be clampedover the top of the hull of the shin and to be secured there by set screws 10.

of strong wire cables 33,'the other ends of which are attached to clamps 34, adapted Vhile thetwo beams are here shown as '"lanting awa from each other in an upward i 'tion. this is not necessary for'the purare then fastened to the an 8 is provided with,

and the hull of the ship.-

The same result might be accomplished by arranging them in a parallel position, their distance from each other being less than the width of the armor plate, provided the two cables 33 are vkept far enough apart to allow the armor plate to pass between them.

The two edges'ofeach of the beams 3 nearestto the hull of the ship. are provided with angles 35, which serve as rails for the armor plates to slide on. 1

The device" is operated as follows:

The whole device, consisting of two beams 8, the connecting rod 12, and the respective cables and accessories, is lifted by either} one of the shackles 16 by means of a crane' into a position that it clears the top'o'f'the-hull, hanging somewhat outside the body of the ship. It is then the four clamps 28 and 34 successively reach the top of the hull, where they are clamped over the latter and fastened to it byset screws 32 and 10. A further lowering of lowered gradually so that 1 the device will bring the beams, by 'mere force of gravity,

position. The lower ends of the two beams very nearly in their desiredle clips '17, by

means of rods 19, and the ho d'of the'crane I a may be released, the device nowbeing in its proper place. The armor plate is brought up by the crane and lifted into a position where it hangs perpendicularly over the two beams 8. It will then be lowered gradually until its lower edge touches the} two beams,

after which it will slide down the edges of the beams into its proper place, 'where'it may easily be fastenedin the usual manner. Should the fit of the plate between the hull or not tight enough, it may be easily adjusted by a few turns of the screw 25 on rod 19. After'the top of the plate-has been bolts,

of the ship and the beams be either too tight 5 3 hold of'the crane maybe released, thus reducing the time during which the crane is in actual use in installing the plate fromv several hours .to 1015 minutes.

The device is moved by simply unscrew-" ing nut 18 from rod 19, after which it may be lifted to the next position, rea dy to take.

the adjoining plate.

Tclainii r 1. An armor plate installer consisting of two beams, the lower ends adapted to be adjustably' fastened ,to the side of the hull of the ship by means of angles, the tops of the beams held in spaced relation to each' other by means of adjustable rods, the

beams slanting in an upward direction away from the hull and away from eachother, the

tops of the beams adapted to be connected to v y the top of the hull by suitable means.

2.. An armor plate installer-consisting of two beams, the lower ends adapted to be adjustably fastened to the side of the hull of the ship by means of angles and also to the top of the hull by means of cables and clamps, the tops of the beams held in spaced relation to each other by means of adjustable rods, the beams slanting in an upward direction away from the hull and away from each other, the tops of the beams 10 adapted to be connected to the top of the hull by suitable means. 7

3. An armor plate installer consisting of two beams, the lower ends adapted to be adjustably fastened to the side of the hull of the ship by means of angles and also to the top of the hull by means of cables and clamps, the tops of the beams held in spaced relation to each other by means of adjustable rods, the beams slanting in an upward direction away from the hull, the tops of the beams adapted tobe connected to the top of the hull by suitable means.

LESLIE SALTER. 

